A fire can break out at any moment, especially when you are running your own restaurant. But there are ways to prevent fires and effectively combat them if they break out. Read now to learn about essential steps you should take to prevent your restaurant and all you have worked for from going up in flames.
When you are a business owner in the restaurant industry, kitchen safety must be a top priority. Studies have revealed that 1/3 of restaurant fires originate from the kitchen area, mostly as flash fires on cooking products.
These incidents can be prevented in two essential steps:
- -Control ignitable sources.
- -Control combustible materials.
The typical source of a kitchen fire is grease, which is a natural by-product of many cooking processes. When fats are heated they change from solid to liquid as oil.
Low temperature cooking creates more liquid grease, while high temperature cooking produces a lot more grease-laden vapor.
As vapor is sucked into the exhaust hood, it cools and settles on surfaces that become fire hazards within the exhaust program.
With the right training and correct safety products, your kitchen area staff can extinguish a range-top fire within moments.
With lack of training and improper safety products, vapors could rapidly expand into ductwork, reaching 200 degrees Fahrenheit because it will come into contact with extremely flammable grease and lint particles.
In this type of environment, an automatic fire safety program is mandatory.
You should have your fire safety program inspected every six months as well as cleaned and checked twice a year.
The National Fire Safety Association (NFPA) can provide your business with information on regulations for commercial kitchen area installations.
Here are just a few items that make up an automatic fire system:
– Spray nozzles are located above all external cooking products – range tops, griddles, open broilers, and tilting frying pans. These nozzles will instantly activate water or a liquid fire retardant when temperatures reach 280 to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
– A heat detector will be installed in the ductwork or within the hood. The ductwork will have an internal fire protection system such as a fuse link or separate thermostat to close a fire damper at the ends of each section of ductwork. This will trigger your exhaust fan to shut off and discharge a spray of water or liquid fire retardant to the interior.
– The exhaust fan will assist in removing smoke during a fire.
– Employees, to combat kitchen fires, can also use handheld fire extinguishers mounted on the kitchen walls.
– Ceiling mounted restaurant sprinklers will activate only when a fire is detected directly beneath them.
If you need restaurant fire systems installed today, let Fireline Corporation serve you.
Commercial restaurant kitchens are equipped with ranges, broilers, fryers and ovens. These appliances, when combined with high temperatures and cooking oils, provide an ideal environment for a fire.
The best protections against restaurant fires are the installation of a pre-engineered wet chemical restaurant suppression system and the installment of a water sprinkler system.
Our pre-engineered restaurant hood wet chemical systems have successfully suppressed many restaurant cooking equipment, exhaust hood and duct fires and are the industry standard. Re-engineered wet chemical systems have pre-determined flow rates and quantities of extinguishing agent, as well as the specific pipe sizes and number and types of nozzles prescribed by the manufacturer. It is vitally important to have these systems designed installed by a qualified fire protection contractor. Semi-annual inspections, including fusible link replacement, are also important factors to ensure proper operation in the event of a fire.
Ask us about our Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher and Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers and Sprinklers for the best commercial restaurant kitchen safety.
We are a Maryland corporation founded in 1947 by John S. Waters. Fireline remains a pioneer in the fledgling fire equipment distribution business and we have grown to encompass all facets of fire protection. Our Totally Integrated Protection Solutions provide you with a wide variety of services. We can design, install, inspect, or service any type of fire protection system. From fire alarm to fire extinguisher, we do it all.
If you have any questions about Dry Chemical Fire Extinguisher and Wet Chemical Fire Extinguishers,Sprinklers, fire equipment, or other Fireline products and services, contact Fireline by calling 410.247.1422 or click here today!
Check us out on Facebook and Twitter as well!
Source: Fire Protection